Saturday, August 10, 2013

Inspiration Avenue's fun, easy crafts week



One of my favorite posts was on April Fool's Day this year.  I have rewritten it here so you, too, can try this fun, easy craft.  I've even added a few things that I learned over time.  I've made these shimmering mists three times, and even showed my friend Kathy how to make them when we had a play weekend recently.  And now I'm sharing it with you.

I was planning to show this post on Thursday, but didn't get around to writing it when my internet went out for nearly three days. I'm just thrilled I was able to get back online and can now share it with Nancy, this week's host, and all my friends at Inspiration Avenue.

Supplies you will need for the shimmering mists (from left to right):

*Small refillable sprayers that have been washed and cleaned
Luminart brand mica powders (the type that DOES NOT have a binder), the colors of your choice.
**Distilled water
***Elmer's Glue-All or any good PVA glue
Stick or spoon for placing powder in bottle

*A note about the refillable bottles.  I had some spray mists that I used, then cleaned them up after they were empty.  Later, I found some after-bath spray at the Dollar Tree (in US, where their slogan is "Everything's a Dollar")  that was in a package of two for $1.00.  I emptied the bath spray and used the bottles.  Much cheaper than going online to find these really pricy spray bottles.

**A note about distilled water.  Distilled water will last forever in these bottles, while tap water will cause the mists to get moldy over time.  Although I have shown this water in a container that originally held bottled water, I assure you, this is distilled.  If you plan to use the entire container immediately, you don't need distilled water.  However, if you plan to let this product sit for any length of time, distilled water is the way to go.

***A note about Elmer's glue.  Any good PVA glue will work, since many who live in areas other than the US don't have access to this glue.  If using Elmer's be sure you use the Glue-All because their "school-glue" brand is watered down.

Now that we have all the essentials out of the way, begin by pouring distilled water into each of the spray bottles.  Don't fill over 2/3 of the way.  You'll need air in the bottles so the liquid can be shaken each time they are used.


Add a bit of the glue.  Originally, I wasn't sure how much glue to add, because I had never made these mists before.  But I squeezed and counted to five (5) in each of the bottles.  As you can see, some of the glue has already started to settle in the bottom of the containers.  And it didn't matter what size bottles I used (some were larger than these shown in the photo, but none were smaller), I still counted to five (5) each time I added glue.

Now use a stick or small spoon to add some mica powder to the container.  I have seen where Tim Holtz made something similar with his product that has the binder in it.  He suggested using no more than a tiny amount, but I'm actually hoping to make a dent in this product, so I used anywhere from two to three times what he would have used.  Holtz also started with silver mica powder and added different color distress inks.  My mica powders were already colored and didn't need any colorant.

Talk about surprised.  The first time I made these, I was shocked because the powder in the container looks NOTHING like the color in the water!!  

Place the cap and mister on the container and shake, shake, shake.  Shake your booty oops, I mean container.  Keep shaking because it takes awhile for the mica powder and glue to assimilate into the distilled water. The nice thing about this is, once you've done all that shaking, the next time you use the container, which must be shaken each time you apply the product, all you need is a cursory shake or two.

I guess you can tell I was a bit shocked by how much the mica powder color changed once it was out of its original container. It also made it hard to replicate the same colors when I visited my friend.  I had failed to label the bottles, and tried to guess from the amount of mica powder that had been used.  So, the second time I made these, I mixed several colors together, thus creating a totally new look.  After all, I have LOTS of these mica powders I hope to turn into shimmering spray mists.

Next, it was time to test these misters.  And yes, it worked!  I was thrilled.  I hope you will try this, too.  I allowed these to dry awhile and sprayed a bit more.  I  didn't want to muddy the paper with too much water and spray mist.  I was also able to tell that I got enough binder in the mists, too.

Once dry, I ran my hand over the two pages and noted the mica spray stayed perfectly in place.  The savvy reader will note I have rotated the pages 90 degrees and sprayed again, filling in any white spots.

One of the nicest things was, my friend Kathy had purchased a LOT of spray mists and thought we were making the same old, same old.  However, we went outside to spray the mists onto card stock and she was shocked, after seeing the backgrounds shining in the sunlight, that they were so shimmery, unlike the products she had purchased in the past.

So now what? These papers are ready to use as backgrounds, cut into ATC or postcard sizes, or turned into tags.  You might even want to create a design using a mask or stencil with the mica sprays.  Of course, you can always use your imagination and make something special with your papers or your mists!  Think of the possibilities, such as old book pages, or ugly scrapbook paper you want to jazz up.

Thank you Inspiration Avenue for issuing this challenge.  I hope you enjoy this fun and easy way to make your own shimmering mists.  And please let me know if you try this project, too. 

22 thoughtful remarks:

roffeycreations said...

Thanks Elizabeth this is fantastic - I have mica pdrs but don't use them as they are so difficult to "set" - will def be giving this a go... Mxx

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

That sounds like an easy but beautiful way to use my mica powders. Blessings!

dawn said...

Hello there,
WOW, how pretty the sprays came out. I love this idea and you explained everything so well, thank you! This would be great for so many things and it's fun.

Glad you have your internet working again. Thanks so much for your visit to my blog. I appreciate your kindness about my PL pages too, this is my favorite thing to me. It's funny you mention about cutting my pictures in half, this part can be hard for me as I like the whole picture and hate cutting them. It's gotten easier but it's the only way to fit them in there. My mom liked our picture too, going to print another one and frame it for her. Glad I could share some of my ICAD too, kinda wish I had explained each one but just know they were each made special.
I'm busy painting away more mugs and remembering old memories to use on my future T Time posts, YAY!!!
Happy weekend and see you on Monday for Mandalas. HUGS!

Anonymous said...

That is a great tutorial and I have some gold that I am going to try. Placing bets it will still stay gold but your color changers were wild! Thanks babe!
Peace ~Dawn

Maggie said...

Oh, I love this project! Of course I have everything but the mica powders, so will be getting some as soon as I can. This is bound to save $$ over the pricey spray mists, and looks beautiful!! I love that you can get creative and mix colors, creating new colors you might not even be able to buy. How odd that the color is different from what's in the little pot.

Thanks for sharing at Inspiration Avenue!

elle said...

excellent! this is so very good and useful!

Divers and Sundry said...

your result is beautiful! i'm impressed that it sounds like a relatively easy project to accomplish, and your instructions are so clear and easy to follow.

where oh where were you back in my crafty days? lol

Anonymous said...

I tried to email you but it keeps saying deliver failure for some reason so here is the reply to your comment on my blog (sorry for flooding your comments with my stuff):

Permission granted. Lol
I made my sage wands, too! I have way to much to waste. This year I got 6 fatties for later burning.
Thank you for your kind thoughts about my sketching abilities. I think I am very weak in that area and have terrible self judgement issues around that part of my creative endeavors. I don't have the discipline to sit and practice so I just throw it out there and cringe. Lol
Have a wonderful weekend Elizabeth.

Patti Edmon Artist said...

What a great idea - love it!

Also, if you still want some flocked wallpaper, send me your address:)

Halle said...

I still haven't made any of these. Love the tip about the dollar store spray. Makes total sense to me!!!

Dawn said...

I loved this post Elizabeth, great instruction and inspiration as always sweetie. Fab alternative to the pricey ready-made sprays, brilliant.
Huge hugs x x x x

Patti Edmon Artist said...

Thanks for the heads up! No more word verification! I still need your address:)

Beverley Baird said...

Thanks for a great tutorial! Love the idea of creating my own mists. Love your background!

Unknown said...

This was very simple and to the point. Thank you for that.
Question:Do you think old eye shadow would work, if crushed up?

voodoo vixen said...

I love your tutorial E, only I don't have any of those mica powder things... but next time I am shopping, I am going to have that stored in the back of my mind!

Lou Anne Hazel said...

That looks like fun! I love how your colors came out. I also enjoyed the tip about the dollar store and spray bottles. I love a good bargain!

Craftymoose Crafts said...

I've thought of this post many times since you first wrote it, but the cost of those spray bottles was too much here. Your dollar store tip is great, and I will look into that. Also, I have pearl ex mica powders that I bought to use with clay. They do have a binder (to the best of my knowledge), so no glue, or less glue? I'd love your opinion.

Sharon Fritchman said...

WOW! I am so inspired by you!!!!! I have some of that powder and NEED to make some mists of my own now! Thanks!!!!!

Nan G said...

Very cool! Hmm, think ill stop at the dollar store to look for spray bottles (w/bath stuff in em). Giggle Now about those mica powders....if I don't have the brand name on them how do we tell if there's binder in them? Teach me to throw out boxes. :/ Yes, I love this idea and will be giving it a try...stay tuned. Hugs

Shoshi said...

I've made quite a lot of DIY glimmer mist sprays, Elizabeth, using Perfect Pearls, water and distress ink re-inkers. The Perfect Pearls have a binder so no need for the glue. However, I have experienced the mould problem and was surprised because I thought being mineral-based there would be nothing for mould to grow on. The distilled water tip is a brilliant one and I shall use that from now on! Many thanks!

I have bought quite a few small, and quite cheap, empty spray bottles from Superdrug which do very well for this sort of thing. I have a larger one which had some cosmetic spray or other in it, and when it was empty, I started using it as a plain water spritzer. Some bottles have a better finer spray than others so it's worth trying them, isn't it.

Shoshi

okienurse said...

I have been using pearl ex powders to make my sprays but not using glue or distilled water and they molded and didn't retain the sparkly...I gave up. thanks for sending me this link I will try diy sprays again! I can't see spending so much on these products when I can make them myself! Vickie

Big D said...

Is that perfect pearls you are using